BY MINKA TIANGCO
A detained activist finally visited the wake of her three-month-old daughter in Pandacan, Manila on Wednesday after the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) granted her a six-hour furlough.
Reina Mae Nasino, donning a full set of personal protective equipment (PPE) and handcuffs, turned emotional upon seeing her baby River already in a casket at La Funeraria Rey.
She only has until 4 p.m. to stay at the wake. She will be allowed to visit her child again on her burial on Friday.
“Masakit sa akin. Sabik akong makita ang anak ko pero hindi sa ganyang kalagayan,” she said.
Nasino, who is facing perjury charges after allegedly being caught with firearms and explosives in November 2019, was accompanied by up to 20 escorts onboard five vehicles, according to Kapatid, a support group for families and friends of political prisoners.
Cops were also spotted by Kapatid outside the funeral home even before the political prisoner arrived.
Earlier, the Manila City Jail requested the court to shorten Nasino’s furlough from full three days to only 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday, citing depleted personnel.
In her letter on Tuesday, Manila City Jail Chief Inspector Maria Ignacia Monteron said the unit only has 12 personnel handling 665 detainees.
The activist mother was also allowed to remove one of her handcuffs after Kapatid spokesman Fides Lim confronted the escorts.
“Remove the handcuffs. Shame on you. She cannot even rise from her chair with soldiers clinging to her,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Manila RTC Branch 47 Judge Paulino Gallegos cut Nasino’s three-day furlough into six hours, citing guidelines from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).
